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Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Investigative Report

Over the holidays I received several credible reports that Trader Vic’s Emeryville was making Mai Tais using Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Concentrate rather than from scratch ingredients.

For those not familiar, Concentrate is a product developed by Trader Vic’s several decades ago to ease cocktail production by replacing the orgeat, orange curaçao, and rock candy syrup with ¾ oz of the Concentrate plus lime juice and rum. Note that this is different from the “Mai Tai Mix” that’s available to consumers at retail. In the past, when a cocktail menu listed a “Trader Vic’s Mai Tai” and referenced “modified to perfection” in the description that meant it was made with the Mai Tai Concentrate.

Original Mai Tai, January 2026

The widespread use of Concentrate in the Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s Emeryville ended years ago, and the description for “The Original Mai Tai” specifically mentions orgeat, orange curaçao, and rock candy syrup. Concentrate is still used for Mai Tai variants such as the Tropical Tais, and sometimes for large events, but even on Mai Tai Day when I ordered an Original Mai Tai they did make it from scratch. So, it was quite a shock to hear Vic’s was using Concentrate in the standard Mai Tai.

During my visit on Sunday I ordered a Mai Tai and it didn’t taste like it used the Concentrate. Moreover, I popped over to the bar and the first thing I saw was longtime bartender Saul measuring out ingredients for a dozen Mai Tais and he was not using the concentrate. In speaking with Saul, he also confirmed they don’t use it for the Original Mai Tai.

I am traveling to Georgia next week for Inuhele and will continue the investigation at the Trader Vic’s Atlanta location.

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New Parking System at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Longtime fans of Trader Vic’s Emeryville remember their small parking lot used to operate for many years on a valet system. Valet was dropped in the return after COVID and the parking lot has been left to customers to navigate ever since.

New for 2026, the parking lot is now operating as a virtual paid lot, with one hour free given to guests. There are signs throughout the parking lot with a QR code to initiate the parking lot payment that operates in a parking meter style where you pay upon entering but can extend your time if needed.

Nobody loves paying for stuff they didn’t used to, but I heard from multiple sources there were lots of problems with people parking who weren’t patronizing Trader Vic’s and taking spaces away from actual customers. So, this change is an attempt to keep things in better balance. It certainly was the case for us  for a late lunch on Sunday as there were plenty of spaces available, more than a comparable interior attendance of year’s past.

Trader Vic’s is also offering some “light and bright” seasonal cocktails and a few menu items as well. The offered cocktails are definitely a little different, seemingly lighter in style than the exotic cocktails the venue is famous for. I’ve heard mixed results from a few who tried but much better for us was a truly fabulous teriyaki salmon bowl (no rice, per my request) that I absolutely loved.

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Mai Tai Seminars at Inuhele: Atlanta’s Tiki Weekend

There are still tickets available for Inuhele: Atlanta’s tiki weekend, January 23-25.

This will be our first trip to Inuhele and I’ll be presenting two Mai Tai seminars, updated and refreshed for 2026! We’re excited to present to a Southeast audience, and having a Trader Vic’s in town is a huge plus.

Are you attending Inuhele? Leave a note and let’s be sure to meet up.

If you’re local, leave any touring tips in the comments.

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Last Christmas: Cocktails

We knocked out a few more Christmas cocktail pop-ups and here’s the summary.

Kona’s (SF) – We arrived around 8:00 on the 23rd for Sippin’ Santa and was enjoying it until they played “Last Christmas” knocking me out of Whamageddon just 28 hrs before winning. The cocktails were pretty good here, though notably their “Mock Tai” was $18 and the mugs were all $40 when other places have them for around $20.

Kona’s in San Francisco

Courage Anyone (SJ) – It wasn’t crowded on Sunday but the staff were welcoming in this newly opened bar doing Sippin’ Santa. I didn’t realize it until after ordering but the Sippin’ Santa cocktail now includes ginger syrup in addition to gingerbread mix, and this one was quite ginger forward. The other cocktails were much better including the Wreck the Halls and Sugar Plum Mai Tai. A regular menu is launching in January.

Courage Anyone in Downtown San Jose

Highlands Sports Bar (San Carlos) is also new to the popup game, hosting Miracle. My Snowball Old Fashioned leaned sweet and was served over cubed ice but still was pretty good, but even better was the decadent Coconut Hot Chocolate. Our other cocktails weren’t as good. but it was good first attempt, if you like sports on TV along with the drinks.

Highland Sports Bar and Grill – San Carlos

Faith & Spirits (San Carlos) is doing Sippin’ Santa and cocktails there were really great. The ginger in the Sippin’ Santa cocktail was much more subdued and my Sugar Plum Mai Tai was the best of all the ones I tried this season. The Frost Bite cocktail featuring tequila was also good, so I asked for an off-menu Kingston Negroni that was delicious. The lounge was well-appointed and has music/dueling pianos some days, so check their calendar.

Faith & Spirits – San Carlos
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Top 10 Mai Tais of 2025

Each year we celebrate the best Mai Tais that we had the pleasure of tasting in the last twelve months. The list includes commercial restaurants and bars, plus Mai Tais we had at home tiki bars and events. For this list the rating is solely about what’s in the glass and does not factor in other elements such as ambiance, food, service, or decor.

Each Mai Tai is only listed once, otherwise Dr. Funk and Smuggler’s Cove would have dominated the top 30, but variants do get listed separately.

Some of the Mai Tais involve rum substitutions from what the bar would normally serve. This presents the reader with more to consider when visiting these places, but highlights that making rum substitutions is often what changes a good Mai Tai into a great one.

Summary of the Top 10 of 2025

A January visit to Smuggler’s Cove set the bar with a great Mai Tai that somehow was bested there later that spring. After the 2023’s “Year of Appleton 17 Legend” we thought that we’d never have another Mai Tai with this rare rum, but I had not one but two including a truly excellent one at Kona Street Market where they amazingly sold this rum at cost! Trips to The Cellar and Oculto showed that ‘please and thank you’ can make for an amazing custom Mai Tai if the bartender has the talent and right ingredients.

A March trip to Tacoma started with an unexpected, amazing Mai Tai at Devil’s Reef, made by owner Jason Alexander with Rare Cane Jamaica Pot Still rum and served unprompted. This bold rum really punched through and delivered an amazing Mai Tai, a testament to Alexander’s bartending skills, and immediately shot to the top of my running list for the year.

Specialty rums are fun, but I was pleased to see that standard issue Mai Tais at a bunch of bars ranked so highly, including Inside Passage, Strong Water Anaheim, and The Fink. Dr. Funk’s Mai Tai is only $8 on Mondays and we drank a ton of these in 2025 and found the quality to be very consistent.

The “Just Missed” list grows larger each year, and the quality of Mai Tais across the globe continue to improve. You can see I really tried to find a Mai Tai to top the one from Devil’s Reef, and while many came close none could actually beat it. The drinks at Devil’s Reef tend to lean more complex than the Mai Tai, and there’s more than a little irony to salute Alexander who once cheekily called the Mai Tai “pedestrian” but there’s no doubt this was the best of the year. Cheers.

1. Rare Cane Jamaica Pot Still Mai Tai at Devil’s Reef
2. Appleton 17 Mai Tai at Kona Street Market
3. Smuggler’s Cove
4. Dr Funk MTM $8
5. Kiki’s Premier Mai Tai at Inside Passage
6. “Xaymaca Mai Tai” at The Cellar
7. Appleton 21 at Make and Drink Studio
8. OG Mai Tai at The Fink
9. Strong Water Anaheim
10. Mexican Rum Mai Tai at Oculto 477

View the Complete List of Top Mai Tais of 2025

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Top Mai Tais of 2025: Runners-Up

As with 2024 we had so many great Mai Tais that many of them would have been deep into the top 10 in past years and this year couldn’t crack the top 10. But they’re nonetheless worth noting and we thank the bartenders and bar owners for making these stellar Mai Tais.

For this list the rating is solely about what’s in the glass and does not factor in other elements such as ambiance, food, service, or decor.

Some of the Mai Tais involve rum substitutions from what the bar would normally serve. This presents the reader with more to consider when visiting these places, but highlights that making spirit substitutions is often what changes a good Mai Tai into a great one.

View the Complete List of Top Mai Tais of 2025

Rest of the Top 25

11. “Punchy Mai Tai” at Club 33
12. Appleton 17 at Wilfred’s Lounge
13. Nightcaps at Rosetta
14. Matiki
15. Frozen Mai Tai at Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar
16. Now that’s a fucking Mai Tai at Little Hill Lounge
17. Original Mai Tai at Mai Tai Day Trader Vic’s Emeryville
18. Mata Hari Bar
19. Pagan Idol
20. Okole’ Maluna Mai Tai at Da Tiki Hut
21. Bitter Mai Tai at Strong Water Anaheim
22. Menehune Juice at Trader Vic’s Munich
23. Boo Loo Lounge
24. Tai Gam at Wilfred’s Lounge
25. Mai Tai with Rhum Traditionnel from Mike Hooker

Just Missed:

Ultimate Mai Tai at Tiki Tom’s
Pusser’s Bar
Dublin Tai at Trader Vic’s Emeryville
Haole Tai at Wilfred’s Lounge
Passion Tai at Trader Vic’s Emeryville
Rumba
Rex’s Mai Tai at Pearl’s Hideaway
Frozen Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day
Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport
Trader Vic’s Munich
Tiki Tom’s Mai Tai
Trader Sam’s with Appleton 12
Mai Tai with Jamaica Rum at Alex Lounge and Bar
Ultra Chill Mai Tai at Bahama Breeze
Hula Hoops
Clarified Ultimate Mai Tai by DJ Ship Rex
China Live
Mai Tai with Kō Hana Rum at PCH
Reserve Mai Tai at False Idol
Dave’s Special Mai Tai at Lucky Tiki
Clifton’s Pacific Seas

Honorable Mentions:

District San Jose, Fog Harbor Fish House, The Tonga Room, Luau Lounge 1944 Mai Tai

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Nochebuena at Cavaña: Mission Bay Rooftop Bar

Mission Bay’s Cavaña is located on the roof of the Luma Hotel, offering great views of Oracle Park. The Latin-focused bar and restaurant features Agave and Cane spirits, meaning it was a welcome option when we arrived early for a show nearby. The venue has a lounge vibe with a large bar area plus lots of patio seating, fire pits, and 17 story views of the neighborhood. Authentic artwork fills the modern space.

Our first visit was taking place during the Nochebuena pop-up with Christmas decor and speciality drinks. The menu is very nicely laid out including details of themed specialty glassware for sale. As with most holiday menus, there’s a little something for everyone including shots and non-alcoholic options.

I went with Jingle Juice, served in a mug eerily “reminiscent” of the Sippin’ Santa mug. The balanced drink is similar to a Mai Tai including Bacardi Seville rum, orange liqueur, orgeat, and lime – with Earl Grey Mango. Trademarks aside, this was a great cocktail.

Mrs. Mai Tai went with Our Lady of Guava-Lupe, including tequila, amaro, aloe liqueur, and guava. Served in a glass that looked like a Mexican religious candle, complete with recipe on the back of the glass. This drink was another winner and so flavorful.

We were impressed by our first visit to Cavaña. Service at the bar moved pretty quick, even on a busy night, and it’s nice there’s an obvious place to order if you’re not sitting. Entry via elevator near the hotel’s entrance ran smoothly and we foresee return visits before or after events at Oracle Park or Chase Center.